Grand Targhee
Some may think of Grand Targhee as the poor neighbour of Jackson Hole. However this is far from the case and Grand Targhee is by no means underprivileged. Sure the terrain at Grand Targhee isn’t as extreme with more of a spread of terrain for all abilities, but more importantly Grand Targhee has got more of the white stuff, with over 13 metres of snowfall annually. Targhee is on the opposite side of the Tetons, the western side, which often traps the snow from the massive storms that travel eastward from the Pacific. More powder is often dumped on the western side than the Jackson Hole side.
Grand Targhee ski resort is only a one hour drive from
Jackson Hole, and it is also in the state of Wyoming but right on the Idaho border. The town of Driggs Idaho is only 19km (12 miles) away from Grand Targhee, and Jackson and Idaho Falls airports are both approximately 90 minutes driving time away from the resort. There are shuttle buses from the airports, as well as to and from Jackson Hole.
Grand Targhee is ideally located to include on a road trip ski extravaganza of the USA.
Jackson Hole is just down the road,
Sun Valley is about 5.5 hours away, Big Sky Montana is 3 hours away, and Salt Lake City and the surrounding
Utah ski resorts are about a 5 hour drive.
The ski terrain is over two mountains – Fred’s Mountain and Peaked Mountain, totalling 809 hectares of lift served skiing and boarding. The upper half of the resort is above the tree line featuring open powder bowls, whilst the lower half has glade skiing. There is also plenty of intermediate terrain (70% of the terrain) consisting of beautiful cruisers and lovely corduroy. This is a great place to learn to ski powder because many of the areas aren’t too steep, and considering there are no crowds, there are stacks of opportunities for fresh lines. Lift capacity is not an issue either with two of the lifts being high-speed detachable quads. Snowcat skiing provides even more terrain with another dedicated 405 hectares of powderhound heaven.
Accommodation at Grand Targhee includes ski in ski out lodges at the base village, two hotels and condominium style lodging. There are also accommodation options off-mountain, only a short distance away. The village is not party-central (the exception being après at The Trap Bar with the Jackson Hole day-trippers). Consequently this is a resort well suited to families or those who want to focus on their skiing. The village offers various facilities including shopping, dining, and non-skiing activities for adults and children.
If you’re in search of a great powder skiing holiday, then Grand Targhee should be up there on your list of places to visit. Amazing snow which ranks highly as some of the most snow fall in ski resorts across the world. The abundant snow is 100% natural with not a fake snowflake in sight. And considering how far inland the resort is, it’s generally incredibly light dry powder – yippee!